


The Value of Experience

by Bluewolf458



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Gen, Sentinel Thursday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-24 05:50:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10735437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: A forest fire...





	The Value of Experience

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Sentinel Thursday prompt 'rage'

The Value of Experience

by  Bluewolf

The four men whose ignorance regarding their camp fire, allowing it to flare up in the strengthening wind, gaped at the devastation spreading from their camp. They had had a short - very short - window of opportunity to stop the flames, but failed to grasp it, not realizing how rapidly the fire would spread; and then, afraid of being trapped and killed, they quickly turned, ran to their car, piled into it and drove off, abandoning everything.

***

The fire quickly raged out of control, driven by the unrelenting wind. Tree after tree exploded in a pillar of flame. The larger animals of the forest ran desperately away from the danger. The small ones, the mice and other burrowing creatures, scurried into their dens - most would survive, depending on how deep their burrows were. The ones that lived in the trees could only do their best to escape; a few were able to keep going fast and far enough to reach the lake that would ultimately stop the flames; many, however, were overtaken by the fire and died. Birds soared high above the flames and, able to see beyond where the fire was burning, headed for there. At least it was late enough in the year that most of the nests were empty; only a few early second broods died.

***

One of the three men sitting eating in the camp near the lake raised his head, sniffing, then jumped to his feet.

"Fire!" he exclaimed.

All experienced campers, it took them only a few minutes to pack everything.

"Will we be able to drive out, Jim?" Simon asked.

"Probably not," Jim said. He looked regretfully at his truck, knowing he would lose it and the trailer attached to it, but grateful for the boat they had hired, knowing that the trees grew too close to the water for them to fish from the bank. They threw their gear into the boat, jumped in themselves, then as Jim started the outboard motor he said, "Simon, it might be a good idea to phone the Parks Department, make sure they know about the fire."

As he pulled out his cell phone, Simon said, "How do you think it started? There hasn't been any lightning." He dialled and reported the fire - now that they were a short distance from the shore they could all see the smoke billowing upwards.

"Someone careless with either a cigarette or a camp fire," Blair suggested.

"You could be right, Chief," Jim agreed as Simon passed the supposition on to the Ranger he was speaking to.

There was splashing at the water's edge, and all three registered the arrival of animals whose instinct told them that they would be safer in the water than on shore. There were several deer and a small pack of wolves, but the wolves made no attempt to attack the deer - the fast-approaching fire was too much of a danger to them all, and in the presence of that danger there was an understood truce.

Only Jim was aware of a few smaller animals that arrived just ahead of the flames.

He had stopped the boat about a hundred yards from the shore, but there was enough smoke blowing across the surface that he decided to restart the small engine and go further out. He went another quarter of a mile before stopping the engine again. By then the trees along the water's edge were burning.

"If I can find out who was responsible for this... " Simon muttered.

"The best punishment would be to make them pay for clearing the affected part of the forest, then replanting it," Blair said.

"Good idea," Simon said. "Unfortunately the odds on finding them aren't high."

"Though if someone driving along threw a cigarette butt out of his car window," Blair said, "he'd be out of sight of the place before the fire really started. Reading about it in tomorrow's paper - he wouldn't even know he started it."

"And if he did realize it," Jim added, "he'd never admit it."

***

After a while Jim raised his head again. "Helicopters," he said.

It was two or three minutes before his companions could hear them. There were half a dozen, and the crews began scooping big containers of water out of the lake then releasing the water over the land where the smoke was still quite thick - at the point opposite where Jim, Blair and Simon were sitting, the fire had burned itself out, though there was still some smoke swirling upwards.

"It could have been worse," Jim said. "At least we had the boat. Without it... "

"We'd have had to try driving out," Simon agreed. "I wouldn't have given much for our chances."

The smoke was lessening; Jim listened for a moment, then nodded. "It's out," he said.

"So all that's left is for us to get out," Simon murmured.

There was a shout from the land - a range rover was parked beside the burned-out remains of Jim's truck, and two men were standing on the shore. From right and left there was a flurry of movement as the fugitive animals scrambled out of the water and rushed off, more afraid of the humans than the little smoke still rising from the devastated ground. Jim waved, started the engine and headed back to land.

"You the guys who raised the alarm?" one of the men asked.

"Yes," Simon said. "Simon Banks, Cascade PD."

"Harry Wells, Chief Ranger. Can you tell us what happened?"

"Not really," Simon said as they climbed out of the boat. "We were camped over there - " he nodded to the circle of stones surrounded by bare earth where they had been camped. "Came in two days ago. We were eating when we realized the forest was burning, took a couple of minutes to pack up our stuff and decided the best thing to do was get out onto the water. As soon as we were safe I phoned in the report."

"That your vehicle?"

Jim nodded.

"Did you see anyone else while you were here?"

"No," Simon said.

Wells frowned. "We found a tent at the edge of the burned area. No vehicle, so either the folk the tent belonged to ran for it or someone dropped them off and they were caught in the fire. But it looked as if their cooking fire got away from them - "

"And they ran for it and didn't bother reporting it?"

"Looks like it."

"We'll have a look at their camp, see if there's anything to identify them. I know we're out of our jurisdiction, but because we were affected... "

"You're all cops? Then I'm officially asking you to check the tent we found."

They tied the boat securely, and packed everything into the land rover. "I'll arrange for the boat and the remains of my truck to be collected as soon as possible," Jim said as he settled into the seat behind the driver.

With everyone in the vehicle they set off, Jim (in particular) surprised that the road was so clear. There was the odd tree partly lying on it, but the strength of the wind had been enough to blow the fire on, once the leaves and smaller branches had burned. And then in front of them they saw the tent beside the beginning of the burned area.

Blair nodded as he looked at the site. "Badly constructed fireplace," he said. "It would have been adequate - just - if the wind hadn't risen. I'd say these guys had about as much idea of how to camp as a five-year-old, and no idea of what to do when the fire - well, escaped. But they could have phoned in and reported the fire even if they did it anonymously."

Jim and Simon were already checking the contents of the tent. "Ha!" Simon exclaimed as he took a wallet from the side pocket of a rucksack. "We've got a name and address... and it's in Cascade! We'll chase these guys up, sir."

"Thank you," Wells said. "I'll get someone to come and take this equipment back to our office. Then if they try to sneak back to get it... "

"One way or the other we've got them," Simon said, satisfaction in his voice.


End file.
